Thruxton

Ironically, Wenley Andrews from Sydney based Mean Machines is one the nicest blokes you could come across. But give him a wrench and a Triumph and he turns meaner than a junkyard dog on a particularly bad day. This Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde split personality is probably why he keeps building these bikes; they just seem to have the right dosage of toughness, style and simplicity. The latest bike to roll out of the Mean Machines ward is this beastly 2013 Triumph Thruxton – not bad for someone with an identity disorder.

Written by Ian Lee.
Speed hole: (noun) a sometimes superfluous modification where a hole is drilled into an automotive accessory, denoting a sporting aspect in relation to the machine. See also; ‘awesome’.

Sometimes a bike appears in the Pipeburn inbox that is truly something special. A high level of work, thought, and time, create a truly magnificent motorcycle, the sort of machine that catches your eye and won’t let go. BCR’s latest project, the ‘Steampunk Racer’, is one such bike. A transformed Triumph Thruxton with a beautiful finish, nicely matched with tasteful performance mods. And speed holes as far as the eye can see.

The Triumph Thruxton isn’t a bike you see a lot of on the pages of Pipeburn. Mainly due to the fact that most riders who pay the premium for this factory café racer don’t usually do that much to them after riding them out of the Triumph dealership. The reason for this is they look great as stock. You don’t really need to do anything to them unless you want to increase the performance or need to stamp your individuality on it. This featured Thruxton is the handy work of the talented crew at The Speed Merchant in southern California who target those people that want something a little more unique – without having to fabricate it themselves. They specialize in manufacturing parts for Hinckley Triumphs and late model Sportsters. So most of the parts you see on this Thruxton are actually parts they make and sell.

Meet thee coolest damn Thruxton you’re ever likely to throw a leg over – the Ace Cafe 904 Special. Built by British Racing Shop T3 in conjunction with the Ace Cafe and the Stonebridge Motor Company, the original inspiration behind the project was to create a more modern, faster, and better handling version of the Thruxton while retaining the classic looks and feel of the original bike. And from what we read, they haven’t failed in their mission. It’s only original parts are the chassis and engine block, but you can rest assured that they have been tweaked more than a little as well; the dyno results give it a healthy 80bhp and 60lb.ft of torque.

It wasn’t long ago we featured another Mr Martini custom, but this Triumph Thruxton 900 was burning a hole in our inbox. Sent to us by the talented Mr Martini himself, we couldn’t wait to post it. Although it isn’t his latest creation, it’s still one of our favourites. To create this incredible Thruxton-based bike or “Classic Urban Racer” as it has been nicknamed, Mr Martini took a fresh out of the factory pre-series bike and completely modified it. He started by adding Wilbers suspensions, a bigger rear rim and classic Metzeler tires. The forks rigidity plate has been replaced because the cut fender has been placed below to draw it up to the tire. The rear fender has been cut and the rear light has been set inside the seat, and in true cafe racer style loads of unnecessary components, standard speedometer included, have been thrown away. The beautiful long manifolds and megaphone pipes have been custom made and painted to give the bike a striking look. From an aesthetic point of view, this built “Flash Back” Triumph is a well balanced mix of modern and classic styling. Check out his other bikes at the Italian based Mr Martini site, particularly the tasty Triumph Flashback Racer.

This is obviously based on the Thruxton racing bikes of the 60’s that lead to the huge Cafe Racer Revolution. They have done a great job keeping close to the original. Even hiding the fuel injection system in a pair of carburetors so it retains Thruxton’s legendary racing look.

I have read lots of great reviews of this bike and if i had a bit more cash I would definitely make some room in the garage for it.